The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-20
Hero is rectangular auadrtlateral bit Of

Hero is q rectangular Quadrilateral bit OF
Barth eighteen miles long and seven miles
wide reduced to fourteen ems measure to &C.
company the above problem. A half q dozen
railroads. three Of them great trunk lines, run
out over 1t IN various directions. The pretty
river, the Passaic. flows through the centre
Into the Newark Bay. and small part Of the
Hackensaok comes within the limits. On this
bit Of earth 80 admirably situated for manu-
facture and commerce are three cities-New-
ark, the city Of 100000 people; Paterson with
about 10000, and Passaic with about $4,000. A
little Of Jersey City appears on the map. but
leaving that city out Of consideration for the
present. there are clustered together and scat
tered about over thio small area 2500OO peo-
pie. and. with the facilities for trade 1t will re-
uuire only few years for this population to be
doubled. What will this great population In
the future do for its water supplyf
On this problem and its variations the people
Of Newark have been figuring for q whole de-
cade. great many issues have grown into it.,
and 80 many different interests have had an
influence upon 1t that, instead Of question OF
two sides, 1t has become 30 complicated as to
be almost unmanageable Jersey City. with a
water debt of over 81, 100000. has been work.
Ing on the problem too. with almost as much
zeal and with probably moro reason, for the
Jersey City supply is taken from the Passaic
River, as will be seen from the map. about a
mile below the point where Newark's is taken,
and Ia apparently more liable to be polluted by
tho impurities carried up by the tide from
Newark. II the tide really does habitually carry
up dangerous impuritiea But this Is one OF
the disputed points. That portion OF the river
which has been beyond question contaminated
by the sewage OF Newark at times Is the black
portion indicated on the map.
IL
BIT OF HISTORY.
The present water works Of Newark were
built In l869-70. the city then having outgrown
the capacity OF u small system Of supply from
springs. which had been in operation for about
sixty years. under the control Of q private CON-
pany up to 1861 when an act was passed au-
thorzing the Mayor and Common Council to
purchase the property and create the Aqueduct
Board. The population Of Newark was then
about $4,000. In 1870. when the present works
were completed the population had increased
to 100000. The beautiful Passaic. with its
headwaters among the numerous small lakes
scattered through northern New Jersey, SEEM
60 the natural supply for the growing city at
the water from Belleville But tho mistake was
completed the question Of whether the water
vas good or bad began to agitate the people
tt a,ers9n and Passaic had taken long leap
Forward, manufactures had sprung up along
the banks Of tho river and its tributaries, and.
aithough the banks about Beleville were as
pretty as ever, 1t began to be suspected that the
river was at times In filthy condition.
nc Jersey CITY works had been in operation
longer than those OF Newark. and the fact that
ue river WAS impure caused q commotion as
garly as ioI2; In an of1cial report made to the
versey CITY Board OF Public Works In that year
Inc people were informed that the water was
tniEhiy offensive both to smell and taste. was
I Turoid from the presence Of great numbers OF
microscopic vegetable and animal orRanisms,
lion BY organic mStter TIE next year yS coma
mission was appointed to ascertain the best
means means OF supplying the city OF Hoboken with
Mater from another source. 1t found the water
VI me Haekensack. low meadow river. SUI
perlor TO that OF the Passaic Feeling became
20 strong in Newark that In 1873 the Aqueduct
board appointed Q commission OF experts to
make surveys and report the most favorable
piahs Ior getting q new supply. The experts
we're j. j. Croes and George w. Howell In
sneir report made In 1879 they enumerate the
sSources OF pollution. tracing them down from
,rnalerson and giving oven lists OF chemicals
TIown into the wnter from various mills
coming down to Bellevile thoy say:
y, ne pump works at Belleylo tho water was very
sSpS .pd iurb!d The tide ebDs and n0ws here noaL
~ m vertically in the water placed IN the centre
:, e channel at the Morris and Essex Railroad bridge
Mson street tNswarkJ lust at the turn Of the tue
a. carried By the ood tide in 81 hours distance
The inference nom this was plain. II tho |